CARNIVAL PLCCUK
CARNIVAL PLC Income Taxes Disclosure
Taxation
A summary of our principal taxes and exemptions in the jurisdictions where our significant operations are located is as follows:
U.S. Income Tax
We are primarily foreign corporations engaged in the business of operating cruise ships in international transportation. We also own and operate, among other businesses, the U.S. hotel and transportation business of Holland America Princess Alaska Tours through U.S. corporations.
Our North American cruise ship businesses and certain ship-owning subsidiaries are engaged in a trade or business within the U.S. Depending on its itinerary, any particular ship may generate income from sources within the U.S. We believe that our U.S. source income and the income of our ship-owning subsidiaries, to the extent derived from, or incidental to, the international operation of a ship or ships, is exempt from U.S. federal income and branch profit taxes.
Our domestic U.S. operations, principally the hotel and transportation business of Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, are subject to federal and state income taxation in the U.S.
In general, under Section 883 of the Internal Revenue Code, certain non-U.S. corporations (such as our North American cruise ship businesses) are not subject to U.S. federal income tax or branch profits tax on U.S. source income derived from, or incidental to, the international operation of a ship or ships. Applicable U.S. Treasury regulations provide in general that a foreign corporation will qualify for the benefits of Section 883 if, in relevant part, (i) the foreign country in which the foreign corporation is organized grants an equivalent exemption to corporations organized in the U.S. in respect of each category of shipping income for which an exemption is being claimed under Section 883 (an “equivalent exemption jurisdiction”) and (ii) the foreign corporation meets a defined publicly-traded corporation stock ownership test (the “publicly-traded test”). Subsidiaries of foreign corporations that are organized in an equivalent exemption jurisdiction and meet the publicly-traded test also benefit from Section 883. We believe that Panama is an equivalent exemption jurisdiction and that Carnival Corporation currently satisfies the publicly-traded test under the regulations. Accordingly, for fiscal 2025, substantially all of Carnival Corporation’s income is exempt from U.S. federal income and branch profit taxes.
Regulations under Section 883 list certain activities that the Internal Revenue Service does not consider to be incidental to the international operation of ships and, therefore, the income attributable to such activities, to the extent such income is U.S. sourced, does not qualify for the Section 883 exemption. Among the activities identified as not incidental are income from the sale of air transportation, transfers, shore excursions and pre- and post-cruise land packages to the extent earned from sources within the U.S.
We believe that the U.S. sourced transportation income earned by Carnival plc and its subsidiaries qualifies for exemption from U.S. federal income tax under applicable bilateral U.S. income tax treaties.
Carnival Corporation, Carnival plc and certain subsidiaries are subject to various U.S. state income taxes generally imposed on each state’s portion of the U.S. source income subject to U.S. federal income taxes. However, the state of Alaska imposes an income tax on its allocated portion of the total income of our companies doing business in Alaska and certain of their subsidiaries.
UK Income Tax
Cunard and P&O Cruises are divisions of Carnival plc and have elected to enter the UK tonnage tax regime under a rolling eight-year term and, accordingly, reapply every year. Companies to which the tonnage tax regime applies pay corporation taxes on profits calculated by reference to the net tonnage of qualifying ships. UK corporation tax is not chargeable under the normal UK tax rules on these brands’ relevant shipping income. Relevant shipping income includes income from the operation of qualifying ships and from shipping related activities.
For a company to be eligible for the regime, it must be subject to UK corporation tax and, among other matters, operate qualifying ships that are strategically and commercially managed in the UK. Companies within the UK tonnage tax regime are also subject to a seafarer training requirement.
Our UK non-shipping activities that do not qualify under the UK tonnage tax regime remain subject to normal UK corporation tax.
Italian and German Income Tax
In December 2024, the European Commission formally approved the Italian tonnage tax rules for 10 years. In 2025, AIDA and Costa elected to remain in the Italian tonnage tax regime through 2034. Companies to which the tonnage tax regime applies pay corporation taxes on shipping profits calculated by reference to the net tonnage of qualifying ships.
Our non-shipping activities that do not qualify under the Italian tonnage tax regime remain subject to normal Italian corporation tax.
Substantially all of AIDA’s earnings are exempt from German income taxes by virtue of the Germany/Italy income tax treaty.
Global Minimum Tax
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) issued Model Rules for implementation of a 15% minimum tax for multinational enterprises as part of its initiative intended to address the tax challenges arising from globalization. Subject to certain requirements, the OECD Model Rules provide an exclusion for international shipping income.
Carnival plc and its subsidiaries became subject to these rules beginning in fiscal 2025 and Carnival Corporation and its subsidiaries will be subject to the rules beginning in fiscal 2026. Carnival plc and its subsidiaries are eligible for the international shipping income exclusion based on their current structure. Effective December 1, 2025, Carnival Corporation and certain of its subsidiaries aligned into a single tax jurisdiction with Carnival plc. As a result, we do not believe the application of these rules will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. We will continue to monitor the development of the OECD’s rules and evaluate the impact on our business.
Other
In addition to or in place of income taxes, virtually all jurisdictions where our ships call impose taxes, fees and other charges based on guest counts, ship tonnage, passenger capacity or some other measure.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jan 27, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Jan 27, 2025 | |
About Income Taxes Disclosures
The income tax disclosure reveals how much a company actually pays in taxes versus what the statutory rate would predict. Analysts focus on the effective tax rate (ETR) reconciliation, which breaks down every item driving the gap between the 21% federal rate and the company's reported ETR — including R&D credits, foreign rate differentials, and state taxes. Deferred tax assets (DTAs) and their valuation allowances signal management's confidence in future profitability: a rising allowance suggests the company doubts it can use accumulated tax benefits. Uncertain tax benefit (UTB) reserves quantify exposure to IRS challenges on aggressive positions.
Key signals to watch: sudden ETR drops without clear operational reasons, large increases in valuation allowances, growing UTB balances, and significant unremitted foreign earnings. Post-TCJA, pay attention to GILTI and BEAT provisions that affect multinational tax structures. Compare the cash taxes paid (from the cash flow statement) against the income tax provision to gauge earnings quality.